Storage apparatus for liquefied gas.



M. CHASE. STORAGE APPARATUS FOR LIQUEFIED GAS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 24. 1905. 91 L294. A

Patented Feb. 2, 1909.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

lflzirzedsedx #ZL M. CHASE. STORAGE APPARATUS FOR LIQUEFIED GAS.

APPLIOATION FILED MAR. 91 1,294. A 24 m5 Patented Feb. 2, 1909.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

* UNITED sT ras PATENT. OFFICE.

MILTON cease, or eavE miLL, MASSACHUSETTS.

women m an we Manam a- No. a11,'2e4..

Specification of Letters latent.

Patented. Feb. 2, 1909.

Application filed larch 24,1905. SeriaLhTo. 251,811.

. lowing characteristic phenomena have been observed. 'Liquid .air may be confined in a tank having walls of suificient strength only to confine water, provided a vent is left 0 en,

which will permit theconstant escape o the ap w ch n inual y rises f m th su fa e of the liquid It has'b n O erved that this vapor produces intense" eol'd g' that is,'that .thelrapi change of the liquidtoits natural form absorbs the heat from'th gue' rounding objects or atmosphere; the rapidity of this change depending directly on the rapidity with which heat is .supplied to permit the change. It is also well known that the rapidity of the evaporation from the surface of, liquefied gas in a tank orvessel depends on the'arnount of heat which ina be sup lied to the sides of the 'tank as we 1 as to't e'surface 'of the liquid. Anothenwellknown fact is that the agitation of the surface of the liquid materiall" increases the rapidity of evaporation as t e outside heathas a greater surface on which to act,"and therefore the quieter the surface of the liquid the less will be the rapidity of evaporation.

The objects of my invention are to provide an improved means for the storage of liquid air, or other liquefied gas, which will prevent loss from evaporation to the greatest possible extent,lwhen it is used for motive ower, as in automobile carriages, and the.

ike, and when it is stored in large quantities, ready for general distribution. I accomplish these objects by providing a storage tank which is as thoroughly heat insulated,

by various mechanical arrangements, as is possible, and by causing the escaping vapor to pass'around all sides ofthe tank before it is Permitted to escape, thusdmwing he-at from'the walls of the tankan'd the insulating material, so that the amount of heat whic may reach the liquid in the tank is reduced to a minimum. Toprevent the access of heat to the surface of the liquid and to pro which are located inthe central with one side vent the agitation thereof when the tank is being transported, I further provide a movable cover or' float which rests on the surface of the liquid and tightly fits the top of the tank, the float being made so that it will be as erfect a non-conductor of heat as is feasib' e. To prevent circulation of the liquid in the tank so that the higher temperature of the liquid which is near the walls of the tank will not be communicated to the liquid which. is near the middle thereof, I provide a series of concentrically arranged tanks or partitions, instead of a single" tank, thus .introducing another factor which retards evaporation.

For a more comp I venti'on, reference is made to the accompany,- ing drawin s roam ng a part of this specification, in" "ijch Figure '1 is apers, ective view of the outer casing of my appar 'tus' showing the door n front of the age tubes open for inspection. Fig. 2 is a' p an view, partly in section, of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1, with the cover removed. Fig. 3 is a central vertical section on'the, 1ine'm- -w of Fig. Fig. 4 is'a n "enlarged detail sectional view taken 'r x ma elf th 1 1151/ Fis 2- he apparat is illustrated s'espec a ly aesi ne 9" c n a lar e asen t atlasfied air of said tip aratus consisting f an outer casing is preferably cylmdrial in form,and is provided with a hinged cover 2. l I

Numerals 3, 4, 5 and 6 ndicate a series of concentrically arranged, cylindrical tanks part of the casing -1, each inner tank being conta ned completely in the next outer tank, the spaces between the respective bottoms-thereof being substantially the same as the spacesbetween the respective side walls. A packing 8 of any suitable non-heat-conducting material is interposed between the outer casing 1 and the outer tank 3, and a vacuum chamber 9 'incloses the sides and bottom of the latter.

When the air is exhausted from this chamber 9, its walls are subject to a great external pressure, and to prevent the same from colla sing I' provide said chamber w th aser es of braces consisting of strips of metal 9 which are bent so-as to' extend back" and forth across .thechamber. The braces are suitably riveted at their points of contact of the chamber and bear lete disclosure of my inagainst the other side as shown. As the distance between the walls of the chamber is short, it would be extremely difiicult to attach the braces to both Walls, and by attaching the braces to one wall only, they will be equally effective. In making this chamber, the braces will be riveted to one wall, and then the two walls will beconnected to an intermediate piece. The wall through which the rivets do not pass may, moreover, be made lighter than the other wall, as it will not be weakened by rivet holes.

For purposes which will presently appear I wish to provide an open space 8 next the vacuum chamber 9, which is not filled by a dense packing, but which will be sufliciently open to allow the circulation of escaping vapor therethrough in preference to a circulation'thrbugh the packing 8. The means shown for preventing the packing from being forced close to the walls of the chamber 9 consists simply in a series of vertical rods or tubes 10, see Fig. 2, which are arranged at intervals around the surface of the chamber 9. A wire netting 11 is stretched around the rods 10 so that a space 8 is formed inside the netting in which the packing 8 is not placed. The'c'over 2 is'also filled with a packin 8 and a vacuum chamber 12' is supporte by brackets 12* from the inner side of the cover. The chamber 12 is of disk form, it having a somewhat greater diameter thanthe outer chamber 3, so that the edges thereof extend some distance beyond the side walls thereof at all points. This chamber 12 v is also braced by the strips 12 in the manner described with reference to v chamber 9. The main inlet pipe 13 to the various tanks leads from the liquefier, or any other sourceiof supply, and enters the -outer.casing at a po nt on a level withthe highest liquid level 1n the tanks, and hasdownwardly and horizontally extending ortions 13 and 13*, as shown A series 0 branch pipes 3 4, 5, 6*, lead fromth'e horizontal portion 13 -to the-bottom of the chambers 3, 4, 5 and 6, respectively, each branch pipebeing screwed through the bottom of the tank into which it leads and through the bottoms of those below, so that they all serve as supports for tple tanks through which they pass and hold t em branch pipe is provided with a suitable valve 3', 4 5", 6, so that .by opening or closin these valves the liquidmay be discharge from, or admitted into the tanks at Wlll.

The stems 3 4, 5 6 of each'valve pass outward] to a chamber 14 which is closed by the hinged door 15, as shown in Figs. 1

60 and 4.

The horizontal portion 13 of the pipe 13 is connected to the discharge ipe 15 which is led to the point where the iquid is to be used. The upper end of each tank is open, the packing 8 in the cover 12 being held a vided with four apertures at apposite points, through which the guide in the spider the proper distances apart. Each,

perfect insulation for the surface of the liquid in the tanks. The innermost chamber 6 is also provided with a hollow float 6, which fits closely therein, and in which a vacuum is maintained. The walls of each of these floats may be strengthened by a series of ribs 6, (indicated only inside of float 6,) which extend around the inside thereof and act as supports for the walls when the air is exhausted from the float. Each float is provided with an outlet pipe, through which the air therein may be exhausted in the manner which will be obvious, the location of said pipes being indicated at 3 4 5' and 6 in Fig. 2. The annular floats 3, 4 5 are each prodiametrically rods 3, 4 5 pass. These guide rods are supported at their lower ends in the bottoinof the tanks, and at their upper ends guide 16. Each guide is screw-threaded at its lower end and passed hrough the bottom of the tank which contains it and the bottom of the tank next below. As the rods are screw-threaded into the tank bottoms, they serve to support the anks in their proper relations; nuts may be screwed on the rods, as shown, if desired, 0 serve as additional security. Although each float should close the space between the surface. of the float and the surface of its corresponding tank as tightly as possible, it

should also be free to rise and fall in the ank as the liquid is raised or lowered therein. -When the liquid level sinks in a certain tank, the float also sinks to the same extent, and consequently rests on the surface of the liquid whatever the level. Stops 3 may be provided on the guide rods for limiting the downward movement of the floats. As the spider guide 16 rests on the edges of the tanks, there will be an open space between the upper edge of each tank and the bottom of the packing in the cover 12, and, as the guide overhangs the upper outer edge of the vacuum chamber 9, a free connection is afforded between the tops of each tank and the space 8, between the packing 8 or netting 11, and the outer surface of the vacuum chamber 9. As the guide rods pass somewhat loosely through the floats, an open vent is provided from the surface of the liquid in the tanks to the upper ends thereof,

and, as there, is a free connection between the upperefids of the tanks and the ac 8* between the netting and the vacuum cham her, it followstha'tthe vapor rising from the surface of the liquid Wlll be free to be discharged into this space 8 -and fill it. -It is obviously necessary to provide some free discharge, or vent for the vapor which is discharged into the space. 8, to the outside of th'ecasing, and to provide this I insert.

the pipe 17, which enters .the casing at a point above the. liquid level, and is carried down through the packing to a point below I the liquid level to a point directly underthe gas as it' is condensed into liquid. form "neath the center of the chamber 9, and also the center of the concentric tanks, and opens into the space 8. The pipe' 17. passes directly in the rear of the inlet pipes, the packing being. shown as removed to show the same in Fig. 3, for convenience in illustration. The Va or-which rises from the surface of the liquid will therefore pass around the walls of the vacuum chamber 9 and be discharged at a point as remote as ossible from the pointat which it rises rom the liquid. This vapor may, be conducted to the liquefier to be used in cooling or used for any other purposes which may be desired.

In order that it maybe readily ascertained :how much liquid eachlreceptacle contains, 1 provide a series of gage tubes 18 shown in Figs. 1 and 4. The bottoms of these tubes 'areconnected to the pipes 3,- P, 5, 6, re-

spectively, at'a point above the -valves 3 4, 5 6", as shown in Fig. 4, the packing being cut away to show a tube and its connection to an inlet pipe, for conveniencein illustration.

Each tube is provided with a colored ball 18" which'rests'on the surface of the liquid in the tube. It is desirable to make this ball of a non-heat conlductihg material, so that the possibility of heat reachingthe; surface of the liquid in the tube will be reduced to a minimum, and it is also desirable to have the balls fit the tubes as tightly as possible without sticking, or obstructing the necessary escape of vapor from the tops of the tubes.

19 which is composedof two heavy lass wallsl9 which are held apart by the and" rubber packing 19". In front of the vacuum I the valves, the door is opened, as shown .in

The upper end ofthe tube preferably terminates a short distance below the top of packingS, and laterally extending passages 8 connect the tops of said tubes with space 8*, see Figs. 2 and 4, permitting the discharge of the vapor rising from the tube into this space, and causing the vapor to circulate about the vacuum chamber in thesame manner as prevlously described. In frontof the gage tubes 18 I provide a'vaeuum chamber chamber is a door 15, see Figs. 1 and- 4, which is suitably packed as shown. When-it is desired to inspect the gage tubes or manipulate Fig. 1. The formationef frost on the gage tubes, which would p event the balls 18 from being seen, is prevented by the vacuum chamber 19, and as the walls thereof are transparent the height of the liquid therein may be readily ascertained.

Having pointed out the mechanical features of my apparatus, I will describe its manner of use, and refer more particularly to the advantages possessed by the same.

The liquid will be introduced at the pipe 13, and each tank will be filled approximately to the point indicated by the bottoms of the floats in Fig. 3. When these tanks are filled, the valves 3, 4", 5", 6", will be closed until it is desired to discharge some of the liquid through the pipe 15. When it is desired to use the liquid, the valve controlling theouter chamber 3 will preferably be opened first, permitting the liquid to pass into the pipe 15, as will be obvious. While the liquid is held in storage, the vapor will continually rise from the surface thereof, and will circulate Y around about the 'tanks and out through the vent pipe 17. As the vapor expands about the chamber 9, it will absorb the heat from the surrounding objects, and produce a stratum of air at a very low temperature between the tanks and packing,

which will tend to make the confined liquid even colder than it was before, so that the amount of evaporation therein w1ll be materially reduced. The floats rest upon the surface of the liquid and thusprevent evaporation which might be caused either by agitation-of the surface of the liquid'if the apparatus should be moved, .or by access of heat to the surface of the liquld. As the liquid isused from each .receptacle in turn, the floats will each drop, following the surface of the .liquid'in a manner which will be I obvious, so that the surface of the liquid will 'much lower than that in the outer tank.

The evaporation from the inner tankwill therefore be much lessthan theevaporation' from; the outer tank, and, as there is no chance for cn'culation between-the tanks, the

outer tank cannotbe communicated to the inner tank by circulation. After the liquid has been exhausted from the outer tank, the latterwill be filled with vapor which will insulatethe inner tanks in the same manner as the chamber 8 insulates the outer tank.

higher temperature of the' liquid in the The subject matter of this application has been the subject matter of two other applications filed by 734,320, filed October 21, 1899, and Serial No. 179,129 filed October 30, 1903.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new. and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. An'apparatus for the storage of liquefied gas consisting of a series of tanks arranged one within the other, each inner tank being completely contained by the next outer tank, a non-heat conducting chamber surrounding the outermost tank, a separate pipe connected to each tank near the bottom thereof, means for controlling the flow of liquid therethrough and acommon discharge pipe connected to eachofsaid pipes,

, said tanks being disconnected except through said pipes whereby flow from one tank to another is prevented, and each of said tanks may be discharged irrespective of the other, substantially; as described.

2. An apparatus for the storage of liquefied gas consisting of a tank, an insulating vacuum chamber therefor, a series of braces in said chamber consisting of one or more strips of metal bent so as to bear alternately against the opposite wallsthereof, and means for securing said strips at the points of conme to wit.Serial No.

tact with one wall only, scribed.

3. An apparatus for the storage of liquefied gas, consisting of a tank, a gage tube connected thereto, a float carried on the surface of the liquid in said tube to indicate the liquid level therein, said tube having a vent above the highest liquid line therein, a heat insulating chamber surrounding said tank and a vacuum chamber having transparent sides arranged in front of said tube, substantially as described.

4. An apparatus for the storage of liquesubstantially as deiied gas, consisting of a tank open at its top,

a non-heat conducting packing surrounding said tank, a cover containing a packing arranged over said tank, a vacuum chamber arranged in the packing of said cover a short distance above and directly over the top of said tank, and. brackets connecting said cover and chamber, said chamber extending beyond the walls of said tank, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

MILTDN CHASE.

Witnesses:

L. H. HA RRIMAN, H. B. DAVIS. 

